Training Trip
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Low Temperature
-15 F
High Temperature
4 F
Poptarts Packed
300 (63,000 calories)
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Lesson
Plans
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Tent Talk
Listen
to today's Audio Update!
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Daily
Dilemma
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It will take us
approximatly 24 hours to drive from Northern
Minnesota to Norway House, Manitoba, where
we will start The Boreal Forest Project. We
have special dog boxes to carry the dogs in,
but we will have to stop every occasionally
to let the dogs go to the bathroom and stretch
their legs. How often do you think we should
stop and let the dogs out of their boxes and
how long should each break last?
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Click To Enlarge
Adam leads the dogs northward during the training
trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in
Minnesota |
Lessons Learned
As Dave Freeman and I prepare for two months in the
Canadian wilderness, I'm learning some valuable lessons.
Lesson Number One: Don't forget the butter and the toilet
paper. Mac 'n' Cheese without butter tastes like mashed
gruel and no toilet paper, well, and your camping partner
may start making voodoo dolls in your likeness.
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All things considered, though,
I think we're doing alright. Right now I'm wearing two
pairs of wool socks, two sets of long underwear (plus
boxers), one pair of tights, wool pants, wind pants, two
long underwear shirts, a windbreaker, a fleece vest, a
down jacket, a fleece jacket, a canvas jacket, two hats,
a balaclava, gloves, mittens (currently removed for typing
purposes) and mukluks (traditional footwear). I admit
I use a cheat sheet sometimes when I'm getting dressed
in the morning, otherwise I might forget some of this
stuff, too. But so far I've managed to hold on to these
very important pieces of equipment.
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Waxing your skis takes a long time but is well worth
it. Wax allows the skis to glide smoothly over various
snow conditions. |
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Another valuable lesson I've learned is always carry
a bottle of hot water with you while traveling. In case
you think an unflavored snow cone might be a tasty treat
after 3 hours of snowshoeing in below-zero weather conditions,
it isn't. Neither is an unflavored Popsicle, which is
what you get when you start off with cold water in your
water bottle.
Left: Don't worry, he's a trained professional learning
adventure guide! A sharp ax is probably the most important
tool during a winter expedition in the boreal forest.
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The most valuable lesson of all, though, is keep the
wood stove stoked all night. This might seem obvious,
but there is a real temptation to just roll over and
hit the mental snooze alarm and keep on dreaming about
Hawaii and volcanoes and the center of the sun. This,
I've now learned, is not worth it. Reality trumps fantasy,
especially when reality is waking up with icicles on
your chin stubble and a numb nose. Just wake up every
few hours, throw a couple logs on the fire, everybody's
happy.
And don't forget the butter and the toilet paper.
-Adam Hansen
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Introducing Daisy! Daisy is just one of the six polar
huskies who will be helping Adam and Dave during the
Boreal Forest Project! |
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